the fount of information for our greater Baltimore/Annapolis area book club

Welcome to Storie delle Sorelle

Welcome to the blog for SdelleS. To learn more about our book club check out my first blog entryor read about our members. Or check out our ReadingGroupGuides.com interview here! Using the links to the right, you can browse the books we've read and rated or visit some of my favorite sites for book clubs on the web. How about some questions to consider as you read a book? This site is meant to provide a wealth of information for all readers so I hope you enjoy your visit! Please post a comment or contact me with any questions or thoughts. :)

Tuesday, November 20

Next Meeting: Reading Lolita in Tehran

Our meeting is almost here ... finally!!!!

Just a few reminders about our Christmas Party this Saturday (Jan. 12 @ 2pm @ Steph's):

Please bring a wrapped book (new or used) for our book exchange.

Steph is doing a tapas-style meal so bring a dish of something to share that goes with that theme

It's been quite a while since I read our current book, Reading Lolita in Tehran, by Azar Nafisi. I'm reviewing my notes tonight (after our Christmas dinner with my mom and dad - they were in FL for Christmas), so hopefully I'll remember everything for tomorrow!

Here is a list of some of the questions/topics that we’ll discuss at the meeting, in case you want to think about your answers ahead of time:

1 – According to Nafisi, how is the Ayatollah Khomeini like Humbert in Lolita?

2 - Think about "the blind censor" and how he relates to the larger story.

3 - Consider the position of women in Iran before the revolution versus their position during Nafisi's story.

4 - Why did the regime feel it necessary to ban/restrict most books? Why did it matter what the people were reading? What did the government fear?

5 - In your opinion, should books ever be censored or banned? Why or why not? Are there circumstances that would be an exception to your rule?

6 – What is “home” to you? Is it a place, people, things? Is it stationary or “portable”?

7 - Nafisi focused on two specific novels, Lolita and The Great Gatsby, and on two specific authors, Henry James and Jane Austen. Why did she choose these and not others? What was the relation between the books/authors and Nafisi and her students in Tehran at that specific time?

8 - And finally, the message at the core of the book - What is the real value of fiction? Why should we read it? Is it meant solely for enjoyment or is there something more to "great fiction"? I look forward to hearing your thoughts on these topics and more!

1 comment:

Well, after listening to this book I can't thank God enough for letting me be born in a Free Country!! These woman in Tehran were and still are physical and mentallly abused. Being forced to marry sometimes at 8 years old! Living in a Burka with 100 degree heat. Not being about to show affection or even look at a man or boy in public. And many times even the woman themselves can't even laugh or sway to the music in their own backyards. Could bring charges or even prison or just shot ... horrible! Beaten, prison or even stoned to death. Just for showing a little too much skin.. Just horrible sometimes

But I loved listening to this book and replayed much of it! It was fascinating.